The way an archive forum would work would be that posts would either be written out to html files or separated into another table in the database as to alleviate some of the load on the posts table. Users would be unable to respond to the threads, but all content would still be viewable on the forum...

I am a Web Development Contractor, I do not work for UBBCentral. I have provided free User to User Support since the beginning of these support forums.
Do you need Forum Install or Upgrade Services?
Forums: A Gardeners Forum, Scouters World
UBB.threads: UBBWiki, UBB Styles, UBB.Sitemaps
Longtime Supporter & Resident Post-A-Holic
VNC Web Services: Code Modifications, Upgrades, Styling, Coding Services, Disaster Recovery, and more!